MyTime Calendars

Ok, I know this is somewhat limiting to all of you out there not currently in Arizona. But for those of you burned out on the traditional pumpkin patches of Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek or Mother Nature’s Farm in Gilbert, we’ve got a new alternative for you! Hop on over to DeWitt Stables and let your kids enjoy “The Patch of Pumpkins, Pets and Ponies”! You definitely can’t beat the price! Kids under 3 are FREE and admission is $5.00 for 3 and up. Families can purchase a group ticket for only $25.00! They also have special rates for larger groups.

Besides picking out that perfect pumpkin from their pumpkin patch, kids can enjoy hayrides, a petting zoo, pony rides, a hay maze, a craft fair, games and even more rides! The festival hours are Fridays from noon until dark and Saturdays from 10:00am until dark.

DeWitt Stables is located at 2211 E. Quince in Mesa, just 1/2 mile north of the 202 Red Mountain on Gilbert Rd. For more information, call (480) 717-9540 or visit their website at www.dewittstables.com

Be sure to mark your calendars with our pumpkin graphic to help remind your little ones of the upcoming holiday fun! Halloween is almost upon us!

Kids will love this great petting zoo!

Pony rides are sure to delight those little western rustlers!

Don't forget to stop by the pumpkin patch for the perfect holiday pumpkin!

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, Crafts, easy crafts, entertainment, Family and Home, fun, halloween crafts for kids, holiday activities, holiday crafts, pets
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I have to spread the word for those of you who may be in the market for a furry family friend for your home. We have a friend that took in a very starved cat who they responsibly cared for through multiple vet visits to affirm it’s health and condition. After a clean bill of health, she took her newfound friend back to the vet to have it spayed only to find out that her emaciated cat was going to be a momma! She took the cat home and several days later, had a healthy litter of four kittens mewing in her home! She has been torn between keeping them but unfortunately, she is unable to accommodate so many animals in her home (she already has a dog and now two cats). She is looking for homes for these four cuddly little furballs and has asked us to help her get the word out to those who might be looking for a good family pet.

The momma cat is very docile, excellent with families (kid-tested, mother-approved!) and has passed those gentle traits onto her offspring. The kittens are very calm for being so young and very gentle with kids (my two-nine year olds all attest to that!). These friendly kittens have little fear of dogs and are nearly litterbox trained. They are currently eating solid foods while still occasionally nursing from their momma and are about 7 weeks old.

We have included some pictures of these little cuties and if you or someone you know is looking for a new family companion, we hope you will contact us at info@mytimecalendars.com with the subject of “kittens”. We would love for these good-natured kitties to go to good families.

Tags: Family and Home, pet adoption, pets
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We have a very special member of our family that works awefully hard though not so anyone would notice. He scares the monster away each night, comforts a mothers tears when she’s had one of those days, listens intently to a child when they feel no one else could understand, scares the bad guys (and some of the annoying door solicitors!)  away, is always ready to play, gets us all off our butts to exercise and appreciate the beauty around us by taking the morning walk,  and never ceases to warm our hearts when everything else in the world seems cold.

Comforter, playmate, body guard, monster-under-the-bed scarer... our family pup has a full time job!

Sound like a pretty hefty job description? Not for our family pup! He takes it all in stride. And while the rest of us moan daily for appreciation, or pay, or some sort of recompense for every good deed, he is content to carry this job out with a wag of his tail and comic loll of his tongue! Our pets do so much for us without ever expecting a return. It is amazing to me that we constantly search for heros for our children to emulate when in reality, the selfless nature of our family pets should be example enough for all of us!

Well, thanks to PetsWeekly.com, we now have a way to repay our little heros by giving them what they love most…time with us to play! They have organized their first Travel Contest for pets and their owners with the grand prize being a five day trip to the Rocky Mountain Wilderness in Colorado Springs, Colorado for two people and their pet!!

Some of the other prizes for runners up:

• $300 in Visa Gift cards
• DERMagic Groom and Go gift basket
• VIP package of Buckskin Joe Frontier Town & Railway
• VIP entry to the Garden of the Gods Trading Post and 10% off of all purchases
• Free HD Movie at the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center
• VIP entry to Historic Manitou Springs, which includes a free mineral spring tasting cup and map
• VIP entry into Manitou Cliff Dwellings
• VIP entry to Miramont Castle
• VIP entry Pikes Peak Highway
• VIP entry Royal Gorge Bridge & Park
• VIP entry Seven Falls
• VIP entry to Cripple Creek District Museum

It’s easy to enter! Simply visit their entry form page, upload a photo of your pet with an explanation of why your pet needs a vacation and you’re ready to go! Check out some of the entries where you can also vote for your favorite. He who has the most votes goes to Colorado! And yes, I have to make a hapless endorsement…if you see our photo (entitle Jennifer Allen and Chance), give us a vote will ya because me and my pet NEED A VACATION!

Tags: Family and Home, free stuff, fun, pets
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Get inspired! Write a poem for your pet and win!

If you have a child that loves to write and loves animals, we’ve got the perfect combination to help them celebrate National Poetry Month! The 3rd annual “Paws for Poetry” contest is in full swing and is a great opportunity for children ages 5-12 to showcase their poetry prowess! To enter, kids need only to write a poem to, and provide a photo of, their favorite animal friend.The contest is co-sponsored by kids’ virtual field trip web site Meet Me at the Corner and Flashlight Press. Teachers and parents, this is a great opportunity to not only encourage your kids to write but also get them excited about it!

Poems must be original work and can be submitted in one of two categories: Group One (ages 5-9) and Group Two (ages 10-12). One grand prize winner ine ach category will receive a $50.00 Amazon.com gift card. Two runners-up in each category will receive a $25.00 Amazon.com gift card. Winning poems and pet photos will also be highlighted in an upcoming Meet Me at the Corner video pod cast. The pod cast will be videotaped at New York’s Angellicle Cat Rescue Center. Local students will present the winning poems.

The contest judge will be Thad Krasnesky. Thad is a children’s author and poet as well as an Iraqi war veteran. He will also be providing contest winners with an autographed copy of his new book, “That Cat Can’t Stay”.

Celebrating the 3rd annual Paws for Poetry contest inspiring kids to celebrate National Poetry Month!

The contest deadline is April 15, 2010. All submissions should be mailed to:

“Paws for Poetry” contest
c/o Meet Me at the Corner
20 West Del Norte
Colorado Springs, CO 80907

Good luck to all our young Emily Dickensen’s and Edgar Allen Poe’s! We hope you will all take a crack at this contest as we take a moment this month to appreciate poetry in all it’s literary forms! wRite on!

Tags: announcements, education, Family and Home, holiday activities, pets, teachers
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The better question might be “how do I train a dog to be good with my kids?”.  But I’ll address both questions in this post.

A family pet can offer love, compassion and unconditional friendship to your kids. But it takes effort to make this truly wonderful relationship flourish.

We were adopted by our first pet after we moved into our first house and about a year before I became pregnant with our first child. We found him in the middle of the summer, looking extremely overheated, dehydrated, hungry and thoroughly wiped out from sitting on a curb outside a brand new PetsMart. He was laid out in the lap of a 10 year old boy holding a sign that read “My Uncle bought me this dog but we live in an apartment an dmy mom says I can’t keep him. Please give him a good home.” Having made a deal with my “not so pet loving” husband that once we moved into a house, I would get a dog, I decided that rescuing this poor little pup was as good a choice as any. And so we called him “Chance” since we were definitely taking a chance on this little pup being a good family dog.
I tell you that story to endorse the idea of pet adoption verses purchasing a pet through a typical pet store or breeder. There are so many wonderful pets out there that are in need of homes and would have no chance at all without those of us willing to take a gamble on them. In my case, it paid off. We have probably the best “kid-friendly” 70lb dog I’ve ever owned (and I’ve already been the proud owner of 1 pure bred dog, two “pet store” dogs, and two birds). He has commonly been caught patiently sitting with many of my toddlers while they played with his tongue, used his sleeping body as a stepping stool to get onto the couch, stole his toy and even sampled his dog food (see my other article about strange toddler tendendies)!
Now I have to ad a caveat to this story. Pets do not come “kid friendly” even though some breeds have a better temperment for it than others. For instance, be aware that most large breed dogs are much more inclined to be patient with your kids than smaller breeds. It may make you nervous to have such a large dog in the company of your small toddler but trust me, larger dogs are much less likely to take a snap at your kids than smaller dogs. A great place to find pets in Arizona in need of rescuing is at Circle L Ranch Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. These are animals that are in desperate need of a second chance and as in the case of my dog, these “second chance” animals make the most devoted and thankful pets.
There are a couple of tips for helping your pet become more friendly towards your kids. Dogs, while domesticated, still think like pack animals. Dominant pack members run the show. Your job is to help your dog understand that your children are part of the dominant force in the “pack” family. When your pet recognizes that their livlihood also comes from these small pack members, they learn quickly to respect that pecking order. Here are a few tips…

1. Let your children play a role in feeding your pet. Your dog will learn quickly that these little pack members are a source of their livlihood and will be more likely to assign them respect. On the same note, never let your kids feed your dog from the table…this will encourage your dog to be ever more aggressive at mealtime.
2. Never let your kids walk you pet if they are not strong enough to control them. Once a dog learns that they can easily overpower these “pack” members, they are much more likely to start asserting their dominance. Instead, allow your kids to issue commands to the pet (like sit, lay down, etc.) and reward them with treats. It will help your children understand how to speak with strength to your pets and help your pets understand that they are rewarded for treating these small pack members with respect.
3. Lots of love! Try very hard not to neglect your pets need for love and attention. They are just as much in need of it as your children are. If you are taking on the responsibility of introducing an animal into your family, then this is a crucial component of making that work. You and your children must make time to play, walk, and stroke your pet so they know they are not competing with your kids for love and attention. Allowing your children to interact this way with your pet as often as possible helps both your children and your pet begin to understand this wonderful loving relationship.
4. Early Training. The more you pet, stroke and interact with your dog as a puppy, the easier it will be for them to accept the oftentimes intrusive attentions of your toddlers. Touch their paws, stroke their ears, and most especially pet them while they eat. They are less likely to interpret these attentions as a threat when they are already accustomed to them.

For more info: Check out some wonderful articles on pet safety and care at www.petsweekly.com. You can also build a custom chore chart for your kids to help them remember their pet responsibilities right here on our charts page. Do you have an experience or advice you’d like to share on this topic? Join our forum discussion!

Tags: Family and Home, parenting, pet adoption, pets, safety, tips and tricks, toddlers
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